Sanctum: Origin
by The Wizard of Runes
Summary: (SYOC, inquire for sheet)(Original Ideas based off stuff)(Also includes Action, Comedy, Fantasy, and Sci Fi). In the year 2055, the world has become a new and interesting place. As science and technology has evolved, magic has no longer been able to hide in the world, and changes are occuring. Chosen individuals are being called to fight, with rewards and risks at stake. Game on!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** A warning to all who come here. I am not really the romance type of writer, but rather one who prefers comedy, action, drama, more action, awesome plots and character stories, comedy again, and supernatural/suspenseful stuff. So dont expect any form of serious romance, or probably even semi-serious. If something like that ends up happening naturally then maybe, but I have no plans or intentions for it at this time. So I will do silly comedic stuff and just silly stuff sometimes, but there will be plot and story, and there will be some serious stuff as well. I like to have a mix.

* * *

For as long as time went on, there have been secrets in this world. Secrets and wonders, all of which went unknown to many. And that included the existence of Magic, which went hidden from the public eye for a long time now. Rumors and legends spread, but as the people advanced and grew wary of the idea of "witchcraft", it began to be hidden.

However, as technology has been expanding and advancing, it has now become difficult for magic to remain hidden. Magic is becoming revealed to the world, and people are learning about it. From the Six Primals, to the Spirit Force, to the complex Runecraft, and other such forms of magic. Derived from the form of energy called Mana, also known as the Lifespring of Energy, or the Godwater as others called it. A force of energy that defied standard definition, able to create something from nothing, if one was willing to put in the effort needed, and accept the risks. Also capable of summoning fire in the middle of the air, rewriting gravity, and creating pocket dimensions.

At first, everything seemed normal though. It was just whispers and rumors, at most. Maybe a video of a mage using magic. Not just of those who could use magic, but also factions and groups within them.

And then, The Marked happened. Across the world, people began to have a Mark appear somewhere on their bodies. Normal people and Mages alike. The normal people who were marked would develop some incredible magic, while those with magic already would have theirs enhanced to around the same level. And then, occasionally when two of the Marked would meet, and they were not already friends, they would be pulled into a place called "The Sanctum", and have to fight. The winner would get spoils, while the loser might suffer from bad luck, come down with a terrible sickness, or maybe nothing aside from getting the crap beat out of them.

BUt the spoils could come in all forms. Money, increased magical power, luck, increased physical ability in the real world. In The Sanctum, all abilities end up getting increased, but sometimes the winners got to bring some of that power back with them to the real world. They were definently able to bring their magic back, although any power given by Marks always is more powerful in The Sanctum. In The Sanctum, it was a place where battles would be carried out, and one side would end up in serious pain at the end. Any injury recieved in The Sanctum would be less severe and heal quicker in reality, but the feeling of pain would still sting.

However, there are many forms of magic that one can use, in the real world or in The Sanctum. First, The Six Primals. Those would be Fire, Water, Earth, Storm, Shadow, and Light. Often, a person was born with an affinity for only one, maybe two Primal Elements. That said, it could be said that the Primals are quite powerful, and more flexible then one might initially think, with incredible magic coming from them.

Next would be Spirit Force. It involves making a pact with a spirit. From that pact, you would gain certain magical abilities based on the spirit you made a pact with, which could provide some flexibility, but also some retrictions. It would allow you to summon that spirit, or forms of that spirit, into battle, and gives you a force to be reckoned with.

And then, there was Runecraft. It was the most complicated, but also the most flexible of Spellcraft. One had to arrange runes into formations, and based on how they were formed would determine what kind of magic was enacted. Difficult to learn, difficult to control, but also difficult to counter and predict. Not invincible, but not a pushover either.

There are other, lesser known forms of magic, but those are the big three. There are also other, basic laws, or facts, for mages. For one thing, Mage bodies understand that their bodies are mostly made of water, and to help heal and recover faster, submerging ones body in water, like in a bath or shower, accelerates healing. It works better if there is less interference though, and it takes more then just pouring a water bottle over the wound. However, it gave birth to legends such as the Waters of Life or the Fountain of Youth.

Another is that one should also protect their Grimoire, their Spellbook. The books are handed down through the generations, as new magic is added to them, and old magic is learned from them. Often there is over a dozen protection spells on new Grimoires alone, and old ones? There could be thousands, and are tough to crack.

And finally, and naturally...of course, you should always keep as much hidden as you can.

* * *

The day had started out like any other, a perfectly normal day. The sun was in the sky, and everything seemed peaceful enough. At least, that was how it was for the city of Azuma. Sunshine and blue skies, and no reports of violence and problems to sour the day so far. And this included the students of Razden Academy, one of the biggest schools in the city.

But sometimes, normal did not mean it was good. At least, that was what Cyrus Dayce thought. The eleven year old boy, who appeared scrawny and short and had girlish looks including long hair which he prefered despite that, was a relatively smart kid and a good study. He often ended up standing out somehow, and he also wanted to help people if he felt he could. Because of that, he ended up getting into a lot of trouble. Whether it was around town, at school, or especially with bullies.

And that was why currently, he was running down a path through the woods by the city and the academy, being chased by three other boys who were older and bigger then him. Then again, all of the boys his age were bigger then him. And, much to his dismay, they were also faster then him. Which meant, it took no time at all for them to tackle him to the ground. And once they did, they kept him pinned down as they stripped all of his clothes off, and tied him to a small tree.

"Hey! Come on!" Cyrus pleaded as he stood there, naked as the day he was born, his hands tied behind his back and the tree. The knot was sturdy, and he was completely incapable of escape.

"Serves you right for telling on us, shrimp!"

"Yeah! Maybe now you will think twice!"

"Good for nothing!"

The bullies said that as he was left there. Thankfully no one was around to see him, at least not yet.

As for why this was happening, a recap was probably needed. Essentially, it all started earlier when Cyrus saw the bullies doing something downright stupid. He saw them forcing some unknown substance into this one kid, and it did not really sit right with him. Of course, Cyrus ended up telling on them, without knowing just who their parents were...or how cold they could be like their kids.

Well, it was possible Cyrus also took some peanut butter...okay, a lot of peanut butter...and stuffed it into their lockers. But that was besides the point, and the cafeteria had plenty to spare!

Well, that was essentially what had happened. ANd so, they got out of trouble, while Cyrus got into trouble. Simple cause and effect.

"Well well, isn't this a rather unusual situation".

And then, a voice spoke to him. It was female, attractive, beautiful, and cute. Although Cyrus was not entirely sure why he heard this voice at this time.

"Looks like you need to escape".

And then, this outragously cute girl walked out from behind him. Clad in a pure white dress, she came around and kissed him on the cheek. Needless to say, Cyrus' face went so red he might as well have been a tomato.

"But you don't need help, do you? Its not like you will remember me anyways..."

And then, she kissed him on the lips.

"What the..." he started to say, when suddenly she just disappeared in front of him. Actually, he was not even sure what he remembered happening. However, he was still tied to the tree, naked. "...I have to get out of this before they get back and decide to take pictures..."

Cyrus tried to struggle loose and get his hands free. It didn't seem to have much effect then, and it didn't seem to now...except somehow, he managed to get it loose enough for a moment, at the right angle, to get his wrist free. And with one wrist free, it was relatively simple to get the other one free, and escape his capture.

Thankfully, the bullies had not bothered to take any of his belongings or clothes, and they were just scattered on the ground. Still, Cyrus found them annoyingly aggressive, and would have to be careful of them in the future.

That said, after he got dressed, he had no time to just stand around, and immediately ran off towards his job. In 2033, new labor laws were implimented that provided both freedom and protection of work, and in the process also ended up seeing the removal of Anti-Child labor laws. Of course, no child could be forced to work overly straining jobs, but for jobs that they could do, such as journalists, messengers, engineers, computer technicians and programmers if they had the skills, and so on. Some of the more talented ones became known as scientists, musicians, artists. Some became assistants, and other jobs like that. A few even became managers, overseeing adults and making sure things got done responsibly and dependably.

It probably also had something to do with the fallout of Stormfall. No one is still quite sure what caused it, but ten years ago, a lot of people lost their lives to an anomalous storm that ended up sweeping across the world. It was not quite end of the world doomtimes, nor was it severe or something that had never been seen before. The intensity had been seen before, but it had never lasted that long or been that large to cross multiple continents and not break up. However, it required a need for those jobs to be filled, and orphans needed jobs to earn money for themselves.

There are still conspiracy theories about what happened though, claiming it was magic, or advanced technology designed to go after those with magic.

Cyrus' parents were also killed by that storm, which resulted in him being taken in by his grandfather, who then died two years ago. After that, Cyrus has been on his own.

And as a result, he now worked at Heartspeed Deliveries. They are hired to go all around the city, delivering mail and packages, without the soulless nature of the post office. No, they go out of their way to make sure each letter and package is handed directly to the recipient with emotion and soul, racing across the city in opposition to "the soulless force of the post office".

He also did some odd jobs on the side, such as fixing pipes and other handyman stuff and so on.

He practically dashed all the way there, though he had to stop a few times for the street lights to turn red and stop traffic when he had to cross the street. He was still in his school uniform, though it was pretty messy and he was half covered in dirt due to earlier. His school uniform was green shorts and socks, a white shirt, and green blaiser. His Heartspeed Deliveries uniform meanwhile was a blue windbreaker jacket, blue shorts, blue boots, and a blue knit cap with the company logo on it.

"Come on come on come on".

"Jeese, you kids these days. Don't you ever just take time to enjoy yourselves?"

An old man mentioned this while he was waiting for the light to change, as he himself seemed to be operating a fortune telling booth.

"Maybe on days when interruptions dont risk me being late!" Cyrus replied, jogging in place as he waited for the light to turn green.

"Running will only get you into trouble today" the old man said, in a more fortune teller like voice.

"...I get into trouble any day regardless. I would have to coop up at home and eat ice cream all day to have a chance to avoid it..."

He muttered that to himself as he continued to run forward, heading right towards his workplace. It was a medium sized building, that could be mistaken as an apartment building if not for the sign, the special blue paint to make it more visible, and the fact it had a driveway and garage built into it unlike the other buildings around the area.

He was quick to rush in, and headed towards the front desk and the woman that was manning it.

"Cyrus Dayce, signing in!"

"Just made it in time. That said..."

She looked over at Cyrus, and scowled.

"Go into the back, throw the clothes in the wash, and shower before you go out. We want people to be pleased, not repulsed".

"R-right! Got it!" Cyrus replied. He wanted to argue, but the entire reason they had showers there, aside from potential exposure to possible hazardous packages that somehow bypassed vetting, was to ensure they were clean and presentable when they did their deliveries as they did them in person. Plus, she was his superior and that was a terrible idea. It was not the first time either, but after the bully incident, he was just a bit more shy about it.

He headed right into the back, employees only locker and shower room and got undressed, putting his dirty clothes into the wash while putting his shoes in his locker, and then he grabbed a towel and headed into the showers. As he stepped in, there were four others there. One boy around high school age, who looked a lot manlier then Cyrus ever could, two girls around his age, and a boy also around his age. Messengers was one of the most popular jobs for children who needed jobs would take, and as for the reason they were all there at the same time, school had just gotten out. The day had been hot, so it appeared everyone was freshening up with a shower.

As for why it was not gender segregated, it was partially to save money and space, and partially because of the ideal of equality between males and females to the point that it was perfectly fine to have this where people were meant to be professionals and on the job. It was far from what became known as the "Overly unfamiliar, afraid, and reserved" age as the history books called it of the early twenty first century.

Although supposedly, a lot of changes were made from before the Stormfall and after it, due to all the chaos.

Cyrus ended up taking a spot under an empty shower, inbetween the two girls, named Rebeca and Shion, and the boy, Kazuka.

"A bit late, Cyrus-kun".

"What took ya so long, Cy-kun?"

"Heyo, Cy-kun!"

Cyrus hung up his towel and turned on the water. There were no dividers, so after some awkwardness, even though Cyrus was still a bit embarrassed, he ended up getting used to conversing with the others in this situation. Even if culture was changing and advancing in this age, that did not mean everything changed overnight.

"H-hey!" he managed to say.

"Oh come on now Cyrus-kun. No need to be afraid and look away. We are coworkers and friends and family, for a long time now!" the tomboy Shion announced, moving over and joining Cyrus under the same showerhead. She was more of an exceptional case, holding absolutely no reserves about anything. "Besides, both me and Rebeca are still totally flat so there is nothing for us to be embarrassed about either!"

"Sh-Shi-chan!" Rebeca said, covering herself up on instinct from the embarrassment. She was the more reserved and shy of the two, but was able to stand there just fine normally due to experience. However, mentioning stuff like that caused her to have this reaction.

"Haha! I just find it fun seeing everyone's different reactions, although Cy-kun should man up and stop being so embarrassed. Come on, be proud to be a boy!"

Shion started to tickle Cyrus a little, reddening his face as he tried to control his laughter. "Sh-shion-chan!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it" she said, as she stood right in front of him. What she said was certainly true though, they were all kids. Although Cyrus could not help but notice she seems to have drawn a weird mark on her waist. He didn't even know what it was this time, but one time, she drew something different on everyone's bodies, and another time, she drew identical marks on them all. Using marker of course, but still it showed how she had zero reserve. The ultimate tomboy. "Anyways, come on! Touch my chest! Its clearly still flat!"

The trope about the girls being sensitive about that area did not happen though, even Rebeca who was shyer then Shion didn't seem fixated on it either. Shion even dared both Cyrus and Kazuka to touch her there as a test of courage. Kazuka did not hesitate at all though, being the energetic and carefree type. Shion then looked back at Cyrus, but pouted when she noticed something and put the marker away...wait...

"Where did you get that from?"

"Dont ask us" Rebeca said, shyly moving her hair and showing another...something...on the back of Rebeca's neck. "She got Kazuka too at some point".

Kazuka then showed his right hand, not the palm but the outside. And it was...

"...Shion? What even are these?"

"Hey, I might be an artist..."

"You four are noisy as always" the high schooler, Ezzo Kiyama interrupted. "Though with Cyrus-kun's looks it cant be helped. If I didn't see him in the showers so much, I might think he is a girl. His long blue hair doesn't help, and his face could totally go either way".

Cyrus sulked a little as he heard something he was still having difficulty accepting. It was true the fact he kept his hair long did not help, but...it was his own personal thing.

"You know, some people would find it creepy you always shower with us like this".

"We all get out of school at the same time" Ezzo pointed out as he finished up. "Don't take too long though. This is not a social club, we are getting cleaned up for work and I hear there is quite a haul today".

"Yeah yeah" Kazuka mentioned as Ezzo went towards the lockers and started to get dressed for work. He then turned towards the other three. "So, I hear I got the riverbank area today".

"I think I got one of the downtown areas..." Rebeca mentioned, calming down as her mind was distracted thanks to work. "I just hope I don't have to deal with that one guy again".

Cyrus started to pay a bit more attention as he washed the dirt off. "Wait, you dont mean the guy on the blacklist right? Did he get someone else to send one of us to him?"

"Sort of...he tried to intercept me during a delivery on fifth street".

Kazuka clicked his tongue as he heard that.

"He tried to get me to go into his van with an offer to drive me to my next stop. Like hell I will fall for that, right Cy-kun? Kicked him inbetween the legs for good measure. Besides, company policy. Dont use vehicles other then trains, subways, and skates while on the job. Boards or roller, but no bikes. Never quite got that rule though".

"Its an image thing. Skateboards are okay, but bikes are a different beast" Shion said, still next to Cyrus and making his face red, although the conversation was distracting him off of it as well. "Besides, most of the time we have to run anyways. The city layout only lets us switch between boards and on foot. And roller skates are technically on foot, though we gotta retract them and go on foot for the delivery so barely anyone uses them. Besides, no one wants a messenger that has unsteady feat".

"They ask us to remain on foot anyways. Thankfully they do let us use trains and subways though, or some would be impossible" Cyrus added.

"Well" Kazuka said, turning off his water and grabbing his towel to start to dry off. "Thats enough for now. We can talk after work".

With that, he jokingly snapped his towel twice and hit both Cyrus and Shion in the rear.

""Hey!"" they both replied, though only one was somewhat embarrassed by it. Rebeca meanwhile had already turned the water off and was joining him in the locker room.

"Well come on Cy-kun!" Shion said, slapping him on the rear as well. "We cant lose!"

"...sometimes, this feels almost unreal. Like playing way too much into the strange but friendly dysfunctional family trope".

The group of them entered the locker area. Ezzo had already left, so they just got dressed. Each of them knew well enough to have two to three pairs of dry underwear at the ready, in case they fell into a puddle or something else in the rain...or, when they were unlucky enough to deliver a breakup message while it was raining and ended up getting pushed from an emotionally upset boyfriend or girlfriend. Or husband/wife if it was a divorce message.

They also had to be careful to deal with pervents, pedophiles, and such, but the company made sure they knew what to do in those situations, and made sure to do research on those who were recieving packages. Sometimes, they would also have to work together on deliveries depending on the situation.

And as they were getting dressed and thinking about such things...

"I am just glad Valentines Day only comes once a year..."

"Even though we have to put up the act for a week. I definently prefer the Christmas outfits by comparison. And Easter".

During the week of Valentines Day, they had to dress up as cherubs/cupids, or lack of dress rather. And given how cold it could get, it was truly terrible. The most embarrassing holiday outfits of them all, and the worst week of them all in terms of deliveries as well. Half the packages ended with heartbreak for some reason, a lot of them were embarrassingly romantic messages, and sometimes their deliveries involved song and dance.

At least the Christmas outfits were warm, although the boys disliked how they were always described as cute. Well, Shion as well disliked that. And only Ezzo was spared of their group due to not having any in his size, though he still had to do the delivery parts.

In exchange for his age though, he was deemed old enough to be punched in the face a lot more.

Personally, Cyrus loved Halloween the most. They got to do deliveries in their Halloween Costumes, and they could get paid and trick or treat on the actual holiday. Their haul on that day was legendary, at least three to four times the size of a normal haul.

"Where are you headed by the way, Cy-kun?"

"Uptown" Cyrus said as he sat on the bench and pulled his shorts on, standing up to finish it. "Looks like I got the uptight and rich people. Or people who are getting deliveries while at work".

"Looks like we all got different areas again" Kazuka mentioned as they finished getting dressed, looking back at the delivery board. "Well at least you only got a few deliveries Cy-kun".

"I am just glad the uniforms have these stylish shorts. Aside from Reverse Day, girls always wear skirts for their school uniform. Seriously, get with the times".

The group then picked up their packages, and reviewed both the lists and the recipient information as they headed out.

"Alright! Good luck everyone!"

"Stay safe!"

"Remember what to do if you encounter a weirdo!"

"Thanks! You too guys!"

And so, the group split up and began running. And not just the running one might expect from children their age. The Cyrus in the woods was totally different from this one. In the woods, although his school uniform did not really restrict him from moving properly, he had to be careful not to mess it up too much so he had to go slower. But this uniform was like his gym uniform, only the shorts were longer with his Heartspeed Deliveries uniform by a bit. But they were durable, and this was the city, so he didn't have to worry about getting it torn on trees.

Thanks to that, and also without the fear of bullies chasing him, he was able to use his full speed. The kids at Heartspeed Deliveries were not just chosen at random or first come first serve. They had to beat certain distances in certain times, and requires a certain level of endurance, stubbornness, and agility. Each one of them was adept at city running, Parkour, climbing, map reading, counting, and directional sense. The reason they wore shorts and not long pants, even in the cold, was to prevent overheating and getting tired. The speed and amount of time they moved their lengths, they did not have time to get cold, and had a resistance to it. It was seen as a cute appearance choice, but it was actually strategic, making it easier to keep them cool through open air exposure.

The reason they wore windbreakers was because they moved their legs more then the rest of their bodies, but on hot days in the summer, they often would use a reduced lightweight upper body uniform, sometimes even just being a sleeveless shirt if needed. However, the boots were non-negotiable no matter what. Sandals and other light footwear was banned, as the footwear had to be sturdy, although one could run barefoot if they wished. The city was actually pretty clean, despite what people might think or be used to elsewhere.

Today was a windy day though, and was not too hot, so it was fine.

However, as Cyrus ran past a window, he found himself stopping for a moment to look in his reflection. That was because he saw a weird mark, on his left cheek directly under the eye.

"How did...when did...whatever! I can question Shion after the deliveries!" Cyrus decided, and started to run again.

Though Cyrus had no idea that he was not the only one who noticed. A man in a suit, and what appeared to be a young elementry school aged boy watched as he passed.

"Well now. Chiharo-kyun, looks like we have a new target" the man said as he watched Cyrus run off.

"Are we going to fight today?"

"It looks like it".

* * *

"Heartspeed Deliveries!" Cyrus announced as he stood next to desk number seven on floor eight. "I have a package for you!"

"Oh...why thank you...did you run all the way here? Well done, boy" the man said. He was truly impressed after all, because Cyrus was not gasping for breath or anything, even though the elevators did not work. That meant he had to run up eight stories. Furthermore, the delivery order clearly stated for it to be at this time specifically, so it wasn't like he could take his time. "Well, here you go. A tip then!"

It was always the sender that paid for the service, but Heartspeed Deliveries was fairly well known if you wanted a more personal and significant mail delivery rather then what they called "The Soulless Machine of the Post Office". Some people sometimes used them just to support them, even though they got plenty of business. Even though most of their messengers were kids, they were known to give good hours and good pay, and obeyed the laws in terms of the regulations required for child employees, so they were quite popular. They were famous for a lot of reasons.

"Well, gotta go for my next delivery!" Cyrus announced, as he ran off. With the delivery done, he re-activated his Navi. It was a special device, like an earpiece, but also projected a holographic heads up display for him. "That is another done for me!"

"Ahk! I wont let you beat me, Cy-kun!"

"Hey! Boss always tells you to pace yourself, Kazuka-kun! You boys are too competitive, right Shi-chan?"

"We gotta pick up the pace Rebeca! And remember, we need to save breath and energy during the job! No honorifics during deliveries!"

"You two Shi-ch...Shion? Okay then..."

"Good spirit, Shion! But this Kazuka wont let you win! Right Cyrus?"

Cyrus had some teary eyes as he ran down the stairs. Although he certainly did not want to lose, and could be quite stubborn when he got into something, he didn't want to compete every time they had a shift like those two muscle brains did. But they always pulled him into it for some reason, and Rebeca too.

"Well, I am on my last delivery!"

"Seriously?!"

"It cant be helped. Cyrus got a light schedule".

"Yeah, but I got Uptown as well, so everything is super far away" Cyrus complained. "While all your stops are closer together, I have to race halfway across the area because its like, three times as big".

"Hey! We should take a hot springs trip later when we have a few days off!"

All of them shared the same shift, because they tended to try and have the same people work at the same time, or even together, so they would be more comfortable with each other. Ezzo was a bit of an exception for their group, but there were seven other groups. For simplistic purposes, Shion labeled each of the groups with an English Letter, and made theirs A, while the others were B, C, D and so on.

The schedule was balanced so that everyone worked evenly, with some people getting a few days off in a row on occasion. They also swapped out weekends. A and C would cover one weekend, while B and D would cover the next one. The kids also only ever worked for a few hours a day, and if they worked several shifts in a row, they would often get more days off.

Of course, there was also a Day Shift and a Night Shift. The first four, including them, were usually during the day, and sometimes they were also at night. Sometimes they would also be sent on jobs other then deliveries depending on their skillsets. For instance, Rebeca was good at taking care of kids younger then them, and even their own age, so sometimes she was even a babysitter. Shion was known to be dispatched if someone or their pet got stuck up a tree, and other things like that. Kazuka provided support and back up for dealing with bullies, even if it did not always end well. And Cyrus was good with his hands, and was able to fix machines, plumbing, and so on. All of them were quite skilled.

Cyrus actually met the boss because he noticed the Auto-Pump he had for his car had a defective piece just from passing by, which was how he got hired in the first place.

"I agree! Everyone is going, no exceptions! And it has to be gender mixed so we can bathe together!"

"Shi-Shion!"

"Hah! Great idea! The more the merrier! We cant split the group in half!"

"Dont decide things for us!"

"Oh come on Cy. At least it would avoid all the usual trou..."

"Kazuka?"

Cyrus noticed the voice cut out as he approached his final delivery. It was on a side street, but it was still Uptown and people were passing by normally. That said, the communications failure was a bit concerning.

"I cant reach anyone...signal overload? Communications towers are filled up maybe? I am supposed to stay in a populated area in case of communications failure, but...the destination is right there..."

He was on the doorstep of the delivery point. It looked like an apartment building one would not expect Uptown, but it looked lavish and fancy enough. It was like a brownstone, but poshed up with white marble and such.

"Hmm...it looks like the communications system is still online, the other's signals are just not getting through..." Cyrus thought, but then he heard the loud sound of an airplane overhead. It was unusually low, since the residents of Uptown paid to keep that stuff and noise far away, however it explained the interference. If an airplane was flying too low, every broadcast tower would automatically disconnect all lines and become a relay to hack into the controls and forcibly make it go away from the city. "Guess it was just that".

Cyrus stepped up and headed towards the door. The recipient was supposed to be home according to intel.

"Hello! Heartspeed Deliveries!" Cyrus announced as he knocked on the door. It was quickly opened, and a gun was pointed in Cyrus' face.

"Inside now, little boya..." the man said, with an aura that gave Cyrus the creeper feeling. "You look hot with all those clothes on, so come inside and take them off. Now. Or I will...oug?!"

Cyrus reacted the moment he started letting his mind get overwhelmed with desire as he made demands, quickly ducking under and then biting the arm with the gun while simultainously kicking the man in...a very very unfortunate place. After that, he crunched down, and then jumped up, headbutting the man in the chin, and then elbow jammed him right in the gut and then hopping back, jumping backwards down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.

"Guess its another address to add to the blacklist. And to call the cops on. These guys never do give up, do they?"

"YOu brat! YOu will be mine!"

"He is coming at me in public now?" Cyrus said, shocked. He immediately pulled out his taser as the man charged at him. When he saw waht Cyrus was holding, he tried to stop himself, but momentum carried him forward as Cyrus created and electric shock and zapped the man with enough electricity to make him pass out for several hours. Cyrus stuck his tongue out at the man.

"Beatcha, fool!" Cyrus said...when suddenly, he noticed something odd. The man, and other people around, seemed to start to fade away. The light also seemed to change suddenly, not from a sun rising or setting or such, but a different shade altogether. And then, in the corner of his eye...he spotted several strange glowing things heading right towards him!

"Dodge!" A voice called out, and Cyrus was more then happy to oblige. Meanwhile, the only other two people that seemed visible in this strange...whatever...appeared and walked towards him. One was a finely dressed man, and the other was an elementry school aged boy holding a large sword he should not be capable of holding, and had a collar around his neck.

"Well now, it seems he has some good reaction time and agility. Chiharo, enhance mana use to Level 2 and increase attack intensity".

"Gotcha master!" he happily announced.

"You always gotta wonder why the Artificial Battle Familiars can only appear as children, but...their optimism, energy, and silliness is a nice reprieve" he muttered to himself, before looking at Cyrus. "Now, would you mind terribly if you died and we got huge amounts of rewards?"

It appeared he had gotten into another troublesome situation...

**Chapter 1: New Day**

* * *

**Author's Note (AN):** Ah, I was hoping to get into the first action scene as well, but I felt it was best to just have Chapter 1 end here on this cliffhanger. At first, I thought I might start with action, but I thought it fit better if we have the world building and story and some comedy stuff first, and then built up to the first action scene. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this random original idea I had! Kinda original anyways. I was inspired by Handshakers, a bit of Fairy Tail, and a few other things!


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

**Chapter 2: Beginnings**

* * *

**AN: ****So fair warning, if you dont see your OC appear immediately after submitting it, thats because I need to let the story flow and introduce them in the best possible way. Never fear though, they will appear, and wont be brushed off into the sidelines. The story just needs to follow a natural progression.**

**Also, introducing like a bunch of new people at once is a recipe for disaster.**

**On a side note, this story will contain a lot of action, but also other things as well. I cant just immediately go to all the action, there has to be buildup, so for those who want more action, dont worry. It will come. And it will be glorious!**

* * *

It was so far going normal and boring at the offices of the SID, or Special Investigations Divisions. Most were out investigating at the moment, but it seemed to be a slow day as the detectives that have to hold back in case of an emergency situation had nothing to do.

"Attention, Detective?" a girl looking at a computer screen asked.

"What is it, Monitor?" the detective replied.

"We have detected a conflict in the Sanctum. Pulling it on screen now...it seems to be an unknown party, and a young boy who is currently going through his first run through the Sanctum".

"Is it a Normal Zone, a Special Zone, or an Irregular Zone?"

"A Normal Zone. There are a few others in the city, but...some of the readings seem weird. Not dangerous weird, just...a bit strange".

A Normal Zone was a normal Sanctum fight, in an area that mimicked the region they were in, with occasional differences. A Special Zone tended to be more exotic, sometimes appearing randomly, with odd and special features. On occasion, there would be a force in there besides the Marked. And then, there were the Irregular Zones. Irregulars were the oddest of the odd, sometimes defying all rational understanding of the Sanctum itself.

There were also things dubbed Black Zones, however...most people end up either dying, or losing their sanity, in those, so not much is concretely known about them.

"Hmm...seems low priority, but monitor it for now".

* * *

"Ouf!" Cyrus grunted as he took cover behind a car. The situation was so no and unexpected, he barely had time to react.

"You really should just stop trying. It will only be more painful for you" the man told him, though his voice held neither mercy nor remorse. That said, it held no bloodlust either, and only a sort of cold aggression. "Its unfortunate for this to be your first, but if it makes you feel better, you should wake up before that other guy if you end up losing consciousness".

Suddenly, several more energy projectiles came form overhead and targeted Cyrus' position. He just barely managed to roll and dodge out of the way, springing to his feet.

"Hmmm...you are quite springy and flexible. Like a rabbit..."

"In what world are rabbits described as springy and flexible?!"

"The original one?"

"I have never heard such a thing!"

Cyrus had to keep running, but he ducked and slid under a car with high elevation between it and the ground, hopped back to his feet almost instantly, and jumped onto the front of another car and then hid behind it. Magical explosions detonated behind him, around him, pretty much everywhere except where he was in that moment.

Gotta give Cyrus some credit, he knew how to run.

Cyrus pushed off against the wall as he then ran some more, using planted trees, phoneline poles, and vehicles as cover. Anything to put inbetween him and his attackers. However, another volley of magical attacks were shot right at him.

"You cant keep running forever!"

"Oh yeah, watch me!"

"Yeah, you cant keep running!"

Cyrus leaped over a wall and then turned a corner, jumping into the next street and taking cover once again as another barrage rained down, trying to hit him.

But what Cyrus saw behind that cover was quite shocking. It appeared to be...one of those cloth ghosts one puts outside when it rains, only...it was not quite cloth, and more glowy. Like a real ghost. But it still looked like that, although its face had a bit more detail and was lifelike.

"Hello, Master Cyrus. My name is Echo, a being born of the power of your Mark".

"My...wait what?"

"Your mark. The thing on your face?"

For a moment Cyrus was confused, but then he remembered seeing a weird symbol on his cheek earlier when he looked at his reflection.

"So wait...your name is Echo?"

"Well, sort of. I am an echo of your soul, manifested to help you. Thus, Echo".

"...can you help me escape or fight?"

"Unfortunately, my abilities are limited. You must fight through your own power, which has been enhanced through the aura of the Sanctum. My abilities mainly revolve around information gathering, processing, and things like that. Although I do possess other capabilities".

Echo half talked like an artificial construct, and half like a person.

"The Sanctum...can you give me a quick rundown then?"

"Will do!"

Meanwhile, in that short time, Cyrus' attackers were closing in on him.

"Running wont save you. There is no escape from the Sanctum. Just accept your bad luck...and go down!" the man said, raising a gun and coming from one side while Chiharo flanked Cyrus and came from the other. However, Cyrus was not there.

And then, oddly enough, music started to play. A sort of rythmic, popular beat, much like one that people would hear right before an action scene started.

(Its totally You Say Run from My Hero Academia, because you know, it goes with everything).

But before they could react, the car next to them exploded in fire and smoke.

"Chiharo! What is wrong!"

"Block!"

Chiharo only replied with one word, but the man reacted immediately and raised his arms to defend. Surely enough, a kick was delivered by a young boy...however, the force behind it was just absurd. Although the man managed to stay on his feet, he was blown back several meters and several of his defense enchantments were broken.

Cyrus then hopped several meters back himself, as heavy winds began to pick up inside the Sanctum.

"What...what is this I am sensing all of a sudden?"

* * *

"Everyone, report!"

Detective Zura of the SID, or Special Investigation Division, asked this as suddenly half a dozen monitors went off.

"We have detected something unusual!"

"We are detecting a build up of concentrated Ezoterric Particles!"

"A storm is being formed within both the Sanctum and Reality as a response!"

"Minor gravometric distortions confirmed! Concealing now!"

"What...what is the status of those Ezoterric Particles?!"

"They are building...higher and higher...what is going on?!"

Ezoterric Particles, said to be particles that sometimes appear from the appearance of Sanctum. Neither a symbol of power, nor a symbol of rarity, they appear in small amounts around the areas of which Sanctum connects with the real world. However, only a handful ever appear, while what they were detecting was a sheer mass, an unprecidented amount.

One can say that they are like leftovers of the dimensional shift.

"Ezoterric Particles are passed all prepared measuring devices!"

"Damnit! Where are they all coming from!?"

* * *

Cyrus suddenly appeared next to the man, and attempted another kick. His power was all in his legs, so it made sense he would use kick attacks. The man blocked, or used magic to shield himself, and sometimes Chiharo blocked...but the force exceeded what they had anticipated. Chiharo, who blocked the latest blow, skidded backwards while grunting.

"Master! He is not normal!"

As Cyrus landed back on the ground, his legs appeared to have taken no damage at all. There was also a glint in his eyes, as the Mark on his cheek glowed brightly. And yet, he was quickly forced to raise a barrier, a magical shield, to stop a powerful ranged magical attack. It had enough force that he had to brace himself and really keep his feet stuck to the ground.

"Tsk. I think we may have miscalculated...this boy is no novice. That is strengthening magic, isn't it?"

"Oh, so you noticed" Cyrus said, a bit impressed as he grunted to maintain the barrier. "It was never this powerful before though, so thats pretty cool".

Yes, Cyrus had magic before The Mark appeared. However, if he used it in front of bullies, he would cause all sorts of trouble and be exposed, so he was forced to put up with being normal around them and being subjected to their cruelty.

Cyrus boosted himself further, pushing off the ground. To the eyes of a normal human with no training, it would probably look like he disappeared in that instant, and appeared right behind the man in charge. His kick made contact with his shoulder. He tried to get the head, but the man re-adjusted himself just in time.

The reason he was able to figure it out was because Strengthening Magic was not as simple as it sounds. As each human was different, each person who used it had to learn to balance it for their own bodies. It was half calculations, half feeling. And Cyrus was able to keep his balance while using it, which was a big clue. First timers would also get dizzy and lose their balance from using it.

Meanwhile, the shifting seemed to get even more intense as strange particles began to appear around the area...and seemed to be swirling around where Cyrus was now. Although his barrier should be breaking, the particles swirling around him were a bit of a concern. Cyrus could not dodge this time, he was not used to barriers enough to move while keeping them at full strength.

"That was a bit of a surprise" the man said, while the origin of the attack, Chiharo, continued to fire the beam. He seemed to have conjured a grounded turret, and was manning it and shooting the intense beam at Cyrus. "But now, its checkmate".

Indeed, the intensity was increasing, escalating. But Cyrus...Cyrus refused to give up without a fight!

"Not...yet!"

And then, the collection of Ezoterric Particles flowed into Cyrus. Meanwhile, a girl seemed to appear suddenly, sitting on the car next to Cyrus, but no one else seemed to notice her. She also seemed...familiar...and really, really cute...

"Well now, this is interesting..."

"You...where did...who are you?!" Cyrus said, as he was struggling with all that was happening.

"You can see me? How is that...I see. Its because you are special. Or maybe, its because you are not special. Maybe its because your both, or neither. But now I understand why the Sanctum chose you more. But, this is not the time...use the power that shatters the sky and the limits of this world, born of your will..."

And with that, she seemed to disappear...and Cyrus had trouble remembering what exactly happened in the first place. But in the back of his head, her last words echoed...

"Storm Blaze!"

Burning lightning...or perhaps, electrified fire...shot out from Cyrus' hands. It would be hard to quantify it as either or, as it seemed to be both and neither. It was fire, and it was lightning, at the same time. Whatever it was, the Storm Blaze shot out from his hands and sweeped the entire area in front of him. The man was just barely able to block and defense himself, while Chiharo was forced to dodge and lost the turret. But then, it seemed that small parts of it shot out and chased them, trying to go around their defenses and cover to get at them. They both managed to escape some of it, but was hit by other parts.

But soon after it was cast, it dissipated. Cyrus was also a bit out of breath from using it.

"What was...did I just use those lights or whatever..."

"No. The Ezoterric Particles had nothing to do with the spell. It seems that you drew them in yourself, to strengthen yourself. That said, they did help you handle that spell. Spells tend to take a lot out of someone far more then they usually would when first cast. In truth, that was not some ultimate ability despite how you feel, but rather just something of the intermediate level. It was still good though, and caught them off guard".

Echo relayed that information.

"What now then?"

"Those two have taken serious injuries, more then they were anticipating. Due to the surprise, and because they also know that those particles had nothing to due with the spell due to superior experience, they have decided to fall back".

"Wait wait...I thought you couldn't retreat?"

"Retreating is usually bad yes. Sometimes, there could be...punishments...losses for the loser...more then just losing normally. But they have been doing this awhile, and earned some good will from Sanctum".

"That...that was not what I asked. Based on what he said, I was concerned it was impossible to retreat".

"It depends. The Sanctum is not a fixed place, or really a place at all depending on how you define 'place'. Sometimes its possible, sometimes it isnt. Sometimes, other solutions are present. Other times, other problems are present. And occasionally, it may even want you to do something".

"Wait, what?"

"Its complicated. Let alone words, the ideas and theory itself to explain it doesn't really exist yet. Anyways, the good news is...you won! Which means rewards!"

As Echo said that, suddenly the entire area around them seemed to...melt? Dissolve? Fade into something else? It was something like that, and Cyrus found himself standing on the sidewalk. He was some distance away from where he had been standing when he first entered, but it was the same street. When he looked to turn to where he had been standing before, there was a crowd of people now. He was not sure how much time had passed though. Was it seconds? Minutes?

Everything seemed complicated to Cyrus. Still, he took a deep breath, and decided to push on.

At least until he turned around and saw Echo floating out in the open, in the middle of the air.

"I wonder though, you think that man did business with Whitehall, or just did business with them?"

"Why are you...quickly!"

Cyrus grabbed Echo and stuffed him inside his jacket before anyone saw him.

"You cant go around outside with other people around! If they see you, it would be dangerous!"

"Sorry...I forgot. Anyways, still curious though..."

"About...what did you say? Whitehall? What is that?"

"Hold on, you don't know? But you should know. Unless, that was never...or a partition...or..."

"I dont really know many people from the magical community, and even fewer who I have interest in ever meeting".

"Well that sounds personal. Well, I do think I know though. I am an Echo of your soul, although...parts of your mind seem clouded. Guarded. Trauma perhaps? I wonder..."

"Echo...please shut up about that".

For a moment, Cyrus' voice seemed to get very serious and very angry. Not a hot anger either, not yet, but rather a bitter cold anger born from something deeply personal.

"...sorry. Anyways, Whitehall is one of many known magical organizations in this region. They are half business, half syndicate, and half community..."

Cyrus didn't even bother to point out Echo used half three times.

"They develop specialized beings known as Artificial Battle Familiars. They appear as children, Elementry School Age, though usually on the older side of around fifth graders..."

"Wait, why is that?"

"Several reasons. Growing to full scale would require more energy and biomass and resources, when they can develop them with the same level of power and ability as the younger ones. There was also some concerns that the growth and hormones might interfere with development. And also, they dont take up as much room. At least, those are the ones I know of. I don't know everything after all. Anyways, Whitehall is somewhere between dangerous and unpredictable, with occasional bouts of helpfulness".

"I...see..."

"I suppose they are wary, given the recent activity by The Imperial, not to mention rumors of The Institute floating about. Then there are The Primal Pack, Genetech, The Wonderlanders, of course the SID as..."

"Hold it!" Cyrus said, as he quickly rushed away from the site of where the battle just occured. He quickly found a small side alley to sneak into, to give him cover. "Okay! I dont feel like dealing with an info dump, so please, short summaries of all of those things you just mentioned".

"But, the details might be..."

"Short. Summaries".

"Fine...well, The Instutute is rumored to do horrific experiments on Orphans, and some believe a few of them at least are Marked. Some weird stuff for sure. Genetech is a company with a public face, but they secretly are also a magic group. They have been adapting Spellcraft to make their stuff. The Primal Pack are a gang that is made of Primal Magic users, led by the Primal Six. THe Wonderlanders use code names based off the story Alice in Wonderland, and is led by someone known as Heartqueen. And the Imperial is a group outside the city known for...well, taking stuff over. You can pretty much get the idea with the name".

"I see...yeah, that sounds way too much to explain it all right now".

"But its my hard collected intel!"

"You were litterally born minutes ago! How is it hard collected?!"

"Ah...well...in spirit!"

"Like I would believe that! Anyways, for now, just stay out of sight. I need to go back to the office and report all the deliveries are done".

"Is now the time to worry about work?!"

"Of course! Its my source of income!"

And with that, Cyrus started to make his way back.

* * *

"Do we know who caused the issue? What about our monitoring system?"

"Analysts that have arrived still dont know anything, Detective. Just a rush of Ezoterric Particles. Could this be that new group centered near Razden Academy? Or The Imperial? Maybe someone new?"

"Not sure yet. The Imperial side has not shown any odd movements lately. Movements, but nothing we are not used to. As for Fashionne...not sure about them either. What about the battle itself?"

"The reaction of Ezoterric particles disrupted our monitoring system. We were unable to continue monitoring battle specifics. We are also having trouble identifying both parties".

"I see...I will go out myself then. Keep me in the loop on anything and everything".

"Understood, sir!"

* * *

"And there" Cyrus said, as he finished taking off his uniform. He had managed to stuff Echo in his bag, who seemed to have fallen asleep. "I suppose I should be happy that I managed not to ruin it at all. And that the fight occured after my last delivery. Now, my uniform should be clean by now".

"Yosh! I have returned!" a familiar voice declared, as Shion entered the locker room with her uniform and underwear bundled under her arms.

Cyrus was so confused, he didn't even feel a little embarrassment he normally would. Well, they were also pretty much friends by now anyways, and this was close to being regular. Still...

"Shi-chan...why were your clothes off before you entered the locker room?"

"Ah? Well, they kind of got messy, so once I was in the employee only area I couldn't wait to get all the way to the locker room. Well, I might have started the outer layer when I first entered the building".

"Messy?"

"Yeah, some weirdo attacked me" Shion mentioned, before throwing something at Cyrus. Cyrus instinctively caught it, and when he saw what it was...

"Uwah?!" he shouted as he dropped them. "Why would you throw those at me?! And what was that smell?!"

Although Cyrus said something dangerous if said to other girls, Shion was far too tomboy to care.

"I ended up falling into a puddle. A freak storm appeared today you know?"

A storm that Cyrus caused, but decided not to reveal that fact.

"Ah, I see..." he said as Shion hopped over the bench in the middle and picked them up. That was when the two looked at each other...

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Cyrus saw the Mark on Shion's chest, right below the neck. And Shion saw Cyrus' Mark, right below his left eye on his cheek.

"When did..."

"Well, you would have seen it sooner if you had manned up and touched my chest, but you didn't even look!"

Cyrus' face went red, when he finally realized his situation.

"Sh-Shi-chan! Before someone comes in...we should..."

"Nonesense! YOu are way too timid! Be more confident in your body, Cy-kun!" she said, looking over it. "Its a very good one for sure. Yep yep!"

"...that would be totally misinterpretted if anyone but you said that..."

"Heyo, everyone!"

That was when someone else walked in, and saw both Cyrus and Shion, but then continued like nothing was wrong...although, he entered the same way Shion did for some reason. There was also some red on it...

"...what happened?"

"A delivery to a butcher. Unfortunately...it was not a good one and things got messy..."

"Breakup?"

"Worse. His daughter sent a message saying she got engaged to a boyfriend..."

"Oh...over protective father stuff..."

"Yeah..."

The two of them looked at each other, and then back at Kazuka.

""Liar"".

"Wha?!"

"Did you really forget a few hours ago Kazuka?" Cyrus mentioned, pointing to his own mark. Just like the one on his right hand. That he showed to them earlier, back when they all thought Shion was responsible.

"Wait, didn't Rebeca have one too..."

And then, red alerts went through their minds. Unlike Cyrus, who had some prior experience with magic (though neither of the other two knew that), and Shion and Kazuka who were...well, them...Rebeca was more of the innocent, bookish, shy type of girl. So if she didn't...

"Yes! Don't worry, I am here!" Rebeca said, shouting that as she came in. Unlike the previous two, she was actually still wearing her uniform, though it was clearly a mess.

One might question if any of them could even remotely be considered normal...

"Are you okay?"

"Ahh...so it did happen to the rest of you after all?" she said, as she started to shyly change out of her uniform. The other three just nodded.

"Yeah. Some biker guy came up to me once that whole weird Sanctum thing formed, and then was all "roar roar". I mean, it was my first fight like that, but he was...super weak..."

"Heh. Some weird pervert with grabby hands. Like, weird to the max. It was nice to thrash around someone like that".

"I got targeted by...some old man and a kid? The kid was apparently a weapon, not a person though".

The three of them ended up sharing, and then looked at Rebeca.

"I ended up fighting some weirdo in a white coat who went on about nonsense or such".

"A scientist?"

"Sounds like a mad scientist".

"Mad scientist with magic?"

The four of them were taking it well, but this was not their first stressful situation. Each one of them was an orphan who had lost their parents or guardians at some point, and endured great hardship. They were already independent and capable.

Also, their place of employment taught them a lot of self defense techniques and martial arts. And provided them with tazers.

"So, how about we go home, then go to use the baths? I want to get dressed in normal clothes!"

"Yes yes..." Cyrus said, as they got dressed in their school uniforms and then headed home.

* * *

"Ahhhhhh...this is good..."

"These baths truly are the best".

"And its far better together!"

"R-right!"

The four had finally gone home, and then went to the baths immediately after.

"Everyone feeling better now?" Cyrus asked, as Kazuka came over and started to wash his back as they sat down on the side. Now, one might be questioning, why are they having a conversation in the bath? Why not wait till they have it at home? Or more importantly, why they all stuck together?

Well, that would be because they live together of course. However, the dorm they were staying at did not have its own baths. Toilet? Check. Closets? Check. Washing and drying machines? Check.

There was one on school campus, which was near their dorms, but...well, they all had their reasons.

That said, they were also trying to conserve money, so it was not some fancy bath either. At least not that night. Instead, it was one where even if they sat all the way down with their knees tucked into their chests, half their body would still be above the water. A shallow pool for children to use that was very cheap.

"That said, based on what that one guy said when I fought him, they were supposed to activate whenever two marked entered within one hundred feet of each other for the first time, or randomly even sometimes, or when they were close enough and showed hostility to each other. So, why haven't we been pulled in yet?"

It was Shion who asked the big question.

"Isn't it obvious? Kazuka mentioned, giving a thumbs up at the other three. "We are all way too close of friends!"

"We did all survive the Teiko Incident together. Plus, we live together, work together, bathe together...we are more like siblings at this point".

"Y-yeah!"

"Come on Rebeca! Have more confidence!"

"You two Cyrus!"

"I still dont see why we couldn't have this conversation at home".

"Because its too important to leave for later. And we couldn't leave the baths till later..." Kazuka mentioned, looking over at Rebeca. Indeed, the true purpose of this group bath, besides washing off the sweat and blood they might have gotten on them, was to also help Rebeca. By sitting in relaxing warm water with friends like usual and conversing, they hoped to reduce the shock of fighting. Although Rebeca knew how to defend herself, this was an unusual situation and she was probably the most sensitive of them all.

Well, Cyrus might have her beat on occasion, but that was besides the point.

"...I will be fine everyone, thanks".

"No chance. Tonight everyone, T shirts and movie slumber party in the main room, and we binge some epic movies".

"Not too epic Kazuka" Cyrus mentioned to him. "We do actually need to get to sleep".

"Fine..."

"Anyways, why didn't we get pulled in?"

"Well, hold on. I think Kazuka might be right. We are all practically siblings to each other right?"

The others nodded. They were all sharing a bath despite being opposite genders, though they did that with showers every time they worked also.

"Well, if sometimes they get triggered by hostility, maybe Anti-hostility negates it?"

"So, in other words, the system or whatever prevents close friends and family from being forced to fight each other?"

"Its a theory. Anyone have a better one?"

"Well, we all didn't have these Marks yesterday right? And once we actually got pulled into the Sanctum, we all got a random bit of information about it right?"

Cyrus technically got his in the form of Echo, who was still asleep. It seemed he did that most of the time unless he was needed, or wanted to wake up himself to do stuff.

"So, maybe it has something to do with the fact we all got Marked at the same time?"

"That does make sense...think about it. What are the odds all four of us got marked on the same day?"

"As an accident or coincidence? Very low. Deliberately? High".

Cyrus confirmed the odds they all suspected.

"I wonder why it was us?"

"Echo mentioned the Sanctum was weird, and maybe alive. Or at least intelligent".

"And it seemed that others were looking out in the surroundings. Like, it was not just a mirror world".

"So in other words, there might be other things in there? That sounds...dangerous".

"Well, hold on!" Kazuka said as he stood up, and then pointed to Cyrus. Cyrus looked puzzled. "You said that one old man took a kid in with him right?"

"Y-yeah? But I think he was like, some sort of living weapon. Echo mentioned that he was probably made by a group called Whitehall".

"Still! Then maybe it is possible for us to go in as a group, not to fight each other, but to fight alongside each other!"

"I mean, we are all Marked...I suppose it could work?"

"Magic though...how awesome! Now we all have it, right Cyrus?"

"It means its a bigger secret to keep though. And I wont abandon my sword lessons either! I shall become a powerful magic swordsman! Or swordswoman! For I am all the all tough, all powerful Shion!"

"I wonder if I should try and impliment a weapon as well...Cyrus will probably be a kicking and castor type, right?"

"Wh-what?! How do you..."

"Because its totally you".

"...it does fit you..."

"I can see it!"

And so, they discussed things like that. And since Rebeca was feeling better, it appeared to be a success. So once they finally left the baths, dressing in casual clothes such as T shirts and shorts, they began to walk home. With the serious stuff done, they ended up detouring and started talking about their favorite movies, anime, manga, and so on. They were so carefree, at least that was the opinion of the people watching them.

"Any sign of contact?"

"So far, no contact has been made between the four of them, and any known faction. Additionally, no contact with targets Jaeger Haizen or Evangeline Martins. Just more new players in town".

"Very well...we dont need rogue variables like them around. Eliminate them".

"Understood".

* * *

**AN:** And so the story progresses! Why did they all get the Mark at the same time? Who are these groups to take note of? Who are those people? I guess you will have to stay tuned for more!

And remember, insanity is like cuteness! Its justice! XD


End file.
